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Patented Aug. 9, 1887.

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PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR MUSIGALINSTRUMENTS. No. 368,164.

Patented Aug. 9, 1887.

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PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR MUSIGALINSTRUMENTS. No. 368,164. Patented Aug. 9, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM D. PARKER, OF \VORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOE TO THE MUNROE ORGAN REED COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 368,164, dated August 9, 1887.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. PARKER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vorcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Actions for Musical Instruments, of which the following, together with the accompanying drawings, is a specification sufficiently full, clear, and exact to enable persons skilled in the art to which this invention appertains to make and use the same.

lhe object of this my present invention is to provide a pneumatic action for musical in- [5 struments that will operate with ease and in quick response to the player or controlling musicsheet and with great power or effective force without taxing the bellows or wind-inducing mechanism for an extensive supply of air to effect such operation, the pneumatic devices being designed to give a' maximum de gree of efi'ective action with a minimum quantity of air expended for working the pneumatic diaphragms. Another object of myinvention is to provide an action in which the pneumatic valveoperating motors, while having a large-and sufficient surface area to give ample power for positively working the reed-valves, are disposed in spaces corresponding to the scale of ordinarysized reeds, so that the reeds, reedvalves, and valve-actuating pneumatics will conform to a uniform system of construction throughout the range of the instrument.

Another object of my invention is to provide avalve-operating pneumatic, actuated by alternate external and internal pressure, in combination with asystcm of valves and small primary pneumatics under the immediate con- 4o trol of the music-sheet or player, which primaries govern the action of the principal valve-operating pneumatics, si'ibstantially as hereinafter fully explained.

Another object of my invention is to provide a rocking-wire connection, in combination with a reed Valve and its actuating pneumatic motor, whereby the movement of the 'pneumatic motor is transmitted. to the valve from any convenient position in the instrument.

Another object of my invention is to afford a system of construction in pneumatic act-ions which can be practically and cheaply manufactured in a manner to give a high degree of excellence in results without requiring dclicacy of adjustment.

These objects I attain by mechanism the nature, construction, and operation of which are shown in the drawings and explained in the following description, the particular subjectmatter claimed being hereinafter definitely specified.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a inusical-instrument action en'ibodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the upper channelboard. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the lower channel'board. 2 and 3 indicate transverse sections at line 0 c of Figs. 2 and 3, respectively. Fig. 4 is a bottom view of a portion of the action, one of the principal pnueumatics being shown in section. Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section through the apparatus at line w w in Fig. 4. Fig. 5 shows a modified con struction of the primary pneumatic and valve 7 devices. Fig. 5 shows a plan of one of the valves operated by the primary pneumatic. Fig. 6 is a vertical longitudinal section at the position of line a; m, Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a vertical section of the tracker. Fig. 8 is a vertical section of the primary pneumatic and valve devices, showing a hinged valve instead of puppets, and with the valve. open for admitting air to the large pneumatic or valve motor. Fig. 9 shows details of the button of the primary pneumatic as constructed in Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a sectional plan view, a part showing the top of the valves and a part the top of the primary pneumatics when of corresponding construction to that shown in Fig. 0 8. Fig. 11 is a perspective view of. the pneumatic block and end of the valve-connecting wire separate from the other parts. Fi 12 shows a modification of the pncumatics as ar ranged for a double action or a plurality of 5 large pneumatics acting under control of single neumatics. Fig. 13 is a horizontal section indicating the arrangement of the same along the range.

In my present improved action one feature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the principal pneuniatics by which the reed valves are actuated, which pneumatics consist of thin plates or blocks having diaphragm-motors arranged at one side thereof to open and close laterally, said blocks being arranged to stand on edge at close intervals corresponding to the spacings of the reedscale and parallel to each other, so that the pneumatic diaphragm and followers open and close laterally, the several pneumaties thus occupying no more space in the lateral range or scale than do the reeds or tube-cells, while they can be given any desired dimension of diaphragm area.

The passage which leads into the-interior chamber of the pneumatic is arranged to communicate with the exterior and interior of the wind-chest and valve devices, disposed as hereinafter described, and, operated by primary pneumatics under control of the player or music-sheet, serve to govern the inlet and out lot of air to and from the chamber through said passages and to change the condition of action in the said principal pneumatic dia phragm from external to internal pressure in accordance therewitln The reed valves are arranged to have a rolling action and are operated from the pneumatic motors by means of rocker-wires, as more fully hereinafter explained.

In referring to parts, A denotes the windchest, from which the air is to be exhausted when the instrument is in use by suitable bellows or wind-inducing apparatus (not shown) connected with the passage A, said bellows being constructed and operated in the ordinary well-known manner or otherwise, as preferred.

B indicates the reed or son 11d p roducin-g de vices, which are arranged in the customary scale or series and supported in the cells of the tube-block B, which tube'bloclc may be disposed in any suitable convenient position upon the sound board A or wind chest A, with the reed-ducts a leading to the interior thereof.

0 denotes the valves for opening and closing the reed-ducts a. Said valves are preferably hinged at their side to open by lateral. rolling action, and are severallyprovided with a pin, arm, or lug, c, to engage the actuating-lever or rocker-wire, and with suitable spring, 0", for returning the valve to its seat after being opened.

ll) indicates the principal pneumatics or motors by which the reed valves are operated, motion being transmitted from the pneumatic diaphragm or follower to the valve by means of rocker-wircs E, Said principal pneumatics are preferably constructed as indicated. A block, 5 some three-oi ghths i nch in thick ness, has a circular cavity formed in its side, A thin flexible diaphragm, D, of softlcather or other suitable material, is secured across said cavity. A disk of wood or followeeplate, I)", is attached at its center to the center of the tllib phragm, and a disk, D, of felt or other suitable cushioning fabric, is attached to the exterior of said button. The pneumatic D is made without an opening other than the inletpassage (Z, by way of which air is supplied and discharged from the chamber beneath the diaphragm by its valve. These pneumatic plates or blocks are arranged on edge in upright positions parallel with each other and at short intervals apart, and are connected with a suitable support or brace, J, in series or order ranging with the scale of the reedsB and reed valves 0, and with their inlet-openings corre spending with openings or passages in the valve-scat bar ill, in the manner illustrated. By thus forming and disposing the parts, I am enabled to make the pneumatics or valve-motors of any desired area of diaphragm without changing their lateral spacing or scale, thus obtaining all requisite power for moving valves, while maintaining the regular reedboard scale or spacings between the several pncumatics.

F indicates the primary or controlling pneumatics formed in or upon the pneumatic bed or bar H, which. bar lies horizontal and css tends longitudinally across the instrument parallel with and beneath the valve-seat bar M, which latter contains a series of inletpassages, (I, loading to the principal pneumatics, 1), and supports the valves I, that control said passages. The ends of the windways or passages (Z extend vertically through the bar M, at positions directly over the primary pneumatics, and open into the chamber N,wh1ch is connected with the interior of the windehest, and also into the chamber 1, which is separated fron the wind-chest by the bar .7, and. which communicates by means of the holes 0 or otherwise with. the exterior of the instrument, so that in the chamber N there is suction or negative pressure of the exhaust,whilc in the chamber 1 is the positive or ordinary atmospheric pressure.

The inlets of passages 17, are provided with valves or puppets I, that close either the up per or lower orifice, accordingly as the primary pneumatic is inflated or collapsed.

The primary pneumatics F are made of small size,or about seven-eighthsinch diameter, and are preferably constructed in the following manner: The bed-bar or supportingstrip ii is provided with two rows of circular cavities in its upper surface, arranged in alternating order. \Vindwaysfcommunicatefrom said. cavities with the passages Z in the vertical board T1, fixed to the edges of the bars ll. and M, as indicated. A. thin piece of soft leather or other suitable fabric is secured to the surface of the bed, covering the cavities, and buttons or follower-disks are attached to said fabric at positions corresponding with said cavities, Said buttons sinlciuto the cavities when air is exhausted therefrom, and are forced upward when the air-prcssurein the cavity is greater than that in the chamber N above the pneumatics.

The valves or puppets I are preferably made as shown in Fig. 5, Fig. 5", or Fig. 8. In Fig. 5 the construction shows a puppet consisting of a rod or spindle with a valve at each end, said spindle extending through the passage in the manner indicated, and the pneumatic button being arranged so as to lift the puppet and close the lower orifice of the passage (1 when the pneumatic is inflated, and the puppet drops and closes the upper orifice when the pneumatic is collapsed. Guard-strips G, having holes corresponding in position with the valves and of slightly greater diameter than the puppet-heads, are secured to the upper and under sides of the seat-piece M, and serve to keep the puppets substantially central with the openings of the passages 61. In Fig. 5 I have shown a modification in which the pneumatic button is provided with a packing on its upper surface and the puppet made without the lower head, the button itselfserving as the valve for the lower orifice of the passages d.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 8, 10, and 12 hinged valves are shown for closing the upper orifices of the passages (I, while the pneumatic buttons F act as valves for the lower orifices of said passages, small rods or pitmen being'arranged from the buttons to the valves for lifting them when the pneumatics are inflated. In this instance the valve and the pneumatic button .are each provided with a cavity, 1, under the valve-face packing to receive the end of the pitman, so that itcannot escape in case the valve is raised while the pneumatic is in the collapsed position.

The lower ends. of the passages Z are closed by disks or pieces of card or paper, through which a small pin-hole is perforated, as at h, which serves as a vent for equalizing the press ure and exhausting the primary pneumatic when the tracker-duct is closed by the music sheet.

In connecting the diaphragm-blocks with their supporting-bar J the bar is recessed or grooved across its face, and the edges of the diaphragm-blocks are inserted and glued into said grooves, so that they are held very securely in position, while the construction is simple and affords facility of manufacture, with little labor and expense.

K indicates the tracker or race over which the perforated music-sheet m passes, acting as a valve for the tracker-ductsw. Said tracker is made as indicated in Fig. 7. A center block, K, has vertical channels K formed in its opposite sides alternately, the upper portions of which channels are inclined inward and carried across the center line, so that the series of ducts w in the top piece or race will respectively communicate with said channels. Side pieces, K are glued to the block K, which cover and complete the channels K This tracker rests upon the top of the wind-chest, which top is formed of two channel-boards, A' and A, the first or upper one of which is made with a series of grooves, a, extending longitudinally and disposed as shown in Fig. 2, while the lower one, A is provided with a series of transverse grooves,

a disposed as shown in Fig. 3. Holes a are bored through the board A at the ends of the grooves a that match with the grooves of the board A and holes a are bored through the board A that match with holes or passages l in an upright channel piece, L, connected with the bed-piece of the primary pneumatics. A thin cap-plate, a is arranged over the channel-board A", and said cap has a series of holes formed through it which correspond with and connect the channels of the tracker K with the channels of the board A, respectively.

The tracker K is glued or secured to the capplate a, and the cap-plate and channel-boards A and A are glued or rigidly fixed together, so that the channels K a a" and holes a", a and lform aseries of windways or passages leading from the respective inlet-ducts w of the tracker K to the respective primary pneumatics F.

The cranked rocker-wires for opening the valves 0 are in the present instance fulcrumed on the bar 0 or other convenient portion of the instrument, one end of said wire being bent up to engage the pin 0 of the valve (3, while the other end is bent off to engage with the button or follower of the larger pneumatic, D, the leverage of the wire being arranged so that inflation of the pneumatic will rock the wire and actuate the valve 0 for opening the reedduct a, as indicated at a central. position in Fig. 6, thus allowing the flow of air for sounding the note. The end of the wire which engages with the pneumatic is preferably formed into a loop or ring, where it rests against the disk of felt D, fixed on the pneumatic follower.

Vhen it is desired to employ two or more sets of sounding devices in an instrument, a double set or plurality of principal pneumatics on blocks or plates are arranged in connection with a single set of primary pneumatics, F, and valves I, the single inlet-passage d being branched to extend to and oper ate such plurality of pneumatics. Such an arrangement having two pneumatics or diaphragmblocks I have illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13. In this it will be understood that the rocker-wires E are to extend to and operate the reed valves in the separate sets,which are not shown, but which may be located at any convenient part of the instrument accessible to said wires, said wires being connected for opening the valves in the manner hereinbefore set forth.

Swells, mutes,and other expressions orstops may be operated by the principal pneumatics and cranked wires in the same manner as the reed valves when desired.

\Vhen the above-described action is set up for operation in the complete instrument, suitable roll-winding mechanism is provided formoving the music-sheet on across the tracker race K. Such winding mechanism may be of any suitable or well-known construction and operation, and not being a feature of my present invention it is not neccsssry to show and describe it herein in detail.

The operation of my improved action is as follows: Air being exhausted from the windchcst and the tracker-duct w being closed by the music-sheet, then, under these conditions, the parts are in positions as shown in Fig. 5 that is, with the primary pneumatic 1* collapsed by the exhaustion of the air through the hole It and with the principal pneumatic D collapsed by the exhaustion of air from the passage (7 ,the lower orifice of which is open to the chamber N by the dropping of the puppet or valve, and the reed valve 0 being conse quently closed. Now, when a perforation of the music-sheet passes one of the tracker-ducts in, air is admitted to the windway leading to the primary pneumatic corresponding with said duct, and the exhaustpressure acting on the diaphragm of said primary pneumatic causes the inflation or explosion thereof, raising the puppet or valve I so as to open the passage d to the positive or external chamber 1 and to elose'said passage (Z from the exhaustehamber N,when, by reason of the external air rushing into its chamber, immediate explosion or inflation of the principal pneumatic D takes place,thercby effecting the rocking of the wire E and opening of the valveC, to allow the reed orsounding devices to speak. The valve is held open and the sounding continued so long as the perforation of the music-sheet maintains the tracker-duct open; but when the paper closes said duet the primary pneumatic is at once exhausted and collapsed, allowing the valve or puppet I to drop, and thus changing the opening of the passage (Z from the positive to the ne ativepressure-clmn'iber, which effects the immediate collapse of the principal pneumatic or diaphragm-motor '1), and the closing of the reed-valve G by its spring is permitted,

The several pneumatics and valves in the series act in similar manner in response to the order of notes cut in the musicsheet.

A guard, 11, may be combined with the valves .l. for limiting the movement thereof. (See Figs. 5 and S.)

\Vhat I elai in as of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1.. In a musical instrument, the pneumatics D, constructed as herein described, consisting of a thin block or plate having at one side a cavity with inlet-passage (Z leading thereunto, in combination with the diaphragm I)" and the follower plate or button 1)", jointly of a lateral dimension not exceeding that of the reedspacing, said pneumatics being adapted for arrangement in vertical order at intervals eorre spending to the spacing of the reeds, substantiall y as set forth.

2. In a musical instrument, the series of iir dependent pneumatic diaphragm-blocks disposed on edge at intervals corresponding with the spacing or scale of the reeds, and disposed in planes perpendicular to the reed sets or rows of sounding devices, as set forth.

3. The combination, with a set of reeds and reed-valves, of a series ofinternally-exploding pneumatics severally formed on the side of independent blocks or plates that are disposed in vertical order and arranged in planes perpendicular to and at intervals corresponding with the scale or spacing of the reeds, substantially as set forth, a series of rocker-wires operated by the said pneumatics and engaging said reedwalves, and means for controlling the inlet of air to the pneumatic chambers, substantially as set forth.

1-. A series ol' large diaphragm pneumatics, constructed as described, upon the sides of thin plates or blocks disposed in vertical order at intervals corresponding to the spacing of the reeds, and having inlet-passages that open internally and externally of the wind-chest, in combination with a series of valves, I, disposed in alternating order in the valveseat piece M, and small primary pneumatics arranged be neath said valves within the wind-chest and controlled by the player or music-sheet, substantiallyas described, for opening and closing said inlet-passages and changing the pressure on said large pneumatics, as set forth.

5. A series ofpnenmatics formed in the side of thin blocks or plates disposed in vertical order on a scale corresponding to the scale of the reeds, in combination with aseries of passages, (I, having openings externally and internally, a series of valves and primary pneumati cs for closing said passages, a series of laterally-swinging reed valves, with a series of cranked rocker-wires fulernmed on a stationary part of the instrument and arranged for transmitting the motion of the pneumatics for opening the said reed valves.

6. The combination of the channel-piece L, the seat-bar having the series of small. dia phragm pneumatics F, with windwaysf leading thereto, the valve-seat piece l\[, having a series of passages, d, opening both externally and internally at positions above said pneumatics, puppets or valves operated by said pneumatics for closing the upper or lower opening of said passages, and the series of pneumatics or diaphragm-inotors formed in blocks or plates and disposed on edge along the support-bar J in planes parallel to each other at intervals of the scale, with their interior chambers connected with the passages d, substantially as set forth,

7. The combination of a pneumatic or diaphragm motor provided with a circular disk or follower, a rocking valve controlling the duct to a reed or sounding device, and a cranked.

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rocker -wire connecting said pneumatic and ering at the lower ends of said passages, as IO valve for operatiom shown and described.

8. The combination of the valve seat piece Witness my hand this 19th day of October, M, the puppet-valves I, and the guardstrips A. I), 1886. G, for the purpose set forth.

' 3 9. The combination, with the pneumaticsF WILLIAM I ARKER and their bed-strips H, of the vertical chan- Witnesses: ne1-strip L, having a series of holes or pets CHAS. H. BURLEIGH, sages, Z, and the perforated disks or paper cov FRANK STONEA 

